Vaporizing applicator



J. J. TOBIN ET AL vAPoRIiING APPLICATOR .I uly 13, 1937.

Filed Nov. 18, 1935 Patented July 13, 1937 PATENT OFFICE VAPORIZINGAPPLICATOR Joseph J. Tobin, 'New York, N. Y., .and Lorado R. Snell,Richmond, Va.

. Application November 18, 1935, Serial No. 50,430

3 Claims.

This invention relates to medicine applicators, and more particularly toa device for applying medicated vapor to the nasal passages in thetreatment of sinusitis and other inammation or irritation of the mucousmembrane.

Heretofore it has been proposed to inject medicated vapor into the nasalpassages by passing a current of air through absorbent materialsaturated with liquid medicament and blow the medicated vapor into thenasal passages and in contact with the affected parts. As the passage ofair through the saturated absorbent material is generally in a straightor direct path, it often happens that only a small quantity of thehealing fluid is taken up and combined with the air and, consequently,the medicated vapor is of insuicient strength to produce the bestresults. Moreover, if excessive air pressure is exerted on themouthpiece of the applicator, small globules of liquid are sometimesforcibly injected with the vapor into the nasal cavities and ndlodgement therein causing injurious eiects.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide amedicator in which these objectionable features are eliminated bycausing the air to take a circuitous passage through and around the uidsaturated wick so as to cause the air to take up or absorb a maximumquantity of the medicated fluid for delivery in a vaporized condition tothe affected parts without danger of small globules of liquid beinginjected into the nasal passages.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vaporizing applicatorincluding a casing or outer shell having means at one end thereof forinsertion within the nostril and provided at its other end with amouthpiece, means being disposed within the shell for retarding thepassage of air therethrough so as to insure a thorough mixture of airand healing iiuid before delivery in an atomized form within the nasalpassages.

A further object is to provide an applicator of simple and inexpensiveconstruction, the parts of which may be readily separated to permitsaturation of the wick and replacement thereof when necessary.

A further object is to provide an applicator having an inner memberprovided with lateral ports or passages communicating with the interiorof the shell and formed with a rod on which the wick is tted, meansbeing provided for retaining the wick in position on the rod and causingthe upper end of the wick to expand laterally in contact with the innerwall of the outer shell or casing so as to'act as a plunger and preventdirect passage of air through the applicator.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve thisclass of devices so as to increase their utility, durability andefficiency.

(Cl. 12S-199) In the accompanying drawing forming a part of thisspecication in which similar numerals of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the gures of the drawing,

Figure l is a side elevation of a vaporizing applicator constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View.

Figure 3 is a perspective View showing the ele- `ments comprising theapplicator detached and ready to be assembled.

vFigure 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of theinvention.

The improved vaporizing applicator forming the subject-matter of thepresent invention comprises an outer shell or casing 5 preferably formedof aluminum and cylindrical in shape, as shown, the lower end of thecasing being open and interiorly threaded, at 6, and the upper endthereof curved inwardly, at l, so that it can be conveniently insertedin the nostril. The curved portion 'i preferably terminates in arelatively small nipple 8 to permit the applicator to be used bychildren, said nipple being provided with a discharge oriiicev 9 whichcommunicates with the interior of the casing. Threaded in the lower endof 'the casing is a closure plug I o having a laterally extending stopflange II which bears against the adjacent end of the casing and forms atight joint between the parts. The closure plug I is provided with areduced cylindrical barrel I2 spaced from the inner wall of the casingand terminating in a lateral ange I3 also spaced slightly from the innerwall of the casing, as shown. Secured in any suitable manner to theupper end of the closure plug I0 is a wick receiving rod I4, the upperend of which is threaded at I5 for detachable engagement with asubstantially cylindrical head I6. The wick Il is formed of absorbentmaterial and is fitted over the rod I4, said wick being saturated with aliquid medicament which will have a soothing and healing eirect on themucous membrane of the nasal passages of the head when the liquid isatomized and injected into the nasal passages. The Wick I'l ispreferably slightly longer than the length of the rod I4 so that whenthe wick is threaded on the rod and the plug is introduced Within thecasing 5, the upper end of the wick will be flared laterally in contactwith the inner wall of the casing, as indicated at I8, so as to coniineair between said flared portion of the wick and the flange I3 and thuspermit the air to become thoroughly impregnated with the medicament.

The plug I0 is provided with an intake passage I9 which also extendsthrough a corrugated nipple 2D over which is fitted a flexible tube 2|,as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. The free end of the tube 2| isprovided with a mouthpiece 22 also preferably formed of aluminum so thatby blowing into the mouthpiece, air will pass through the tube and intothe intake passage I9. The barrel I2 is provided with a transverseopening 23 which intersects the intake passage I9 and causes the airentering the passage I9 to pass laterally on each side of the barrel andthence over the flange I3 in contact with the saturated wick I'I whereit will take up and vaporize the medicament on the wick and thence passupwardly through the 'flared portion I8 of the wick and around the headI6 to the discharge passage 9 and thence into the nasal passages. tionI8 of the wick in conjunction with the head I6 forms, in effect, aplunger to prevent the direct passage of air through the applicator andinasmuch as. the air flows upwardly on opposite sides of the barrel, itis retarded or confined between the plunger and barrel so that the airwill become thoroughly saturated with the fumes from the wick and a richvaporized mixture delivered to the affectedc parts. It will furthermorebe noted that inasmuch as the air takes a circuitous passage through theapplicator and the flared portion of the wick II contacts with the innerwall of the applicator, said flared portion of the wick acts as a screenand serves to prevent small globules of iiuid on the wick being forciblyinjected through the discharge passage into the nasal cavities. Y

In using the device, the casing 5 is unscrewed from the plug I0 afterwhich the head IB is removed and the wick Il threaded over the rod I4.The head I6 is then replaced on the rod and the wick saturated with thedesired healing iluid or other medicament, after which the plug with thewick in position thereon is inserted in the casing 5 so as to cause theilared upper end of the wick to contact with the inner wall of thecasing, as previously described. By then inserting the mouthpiece 22between the lips with the small end of the casing introduced within thenostril and blowing slightly through the tube 2l, the air will `passlaterally through the passages 23 and in contact with the wick I1 andthence upwardly through the discharge passage 9 into the nostrils. Ifitis desired to replace or renew the wick, it is merely necessary todetach the head IG and thread a new wick over the rod I4 and in whichposition the wick will be iirmly held between the flanged end of thebarrel I2 and said head. I

In Figure 4 of the drawing, there is illustrated a modied form of theinvention, in which a plurality of openings 24 intersect the intakepassage so as to deliver the air on all sides of the barrel. In thisform of the device the ange I3' is preferably formed with inclined orspiral grooves 25 for imparting a circuitous movement to the air andlikewise the head I6 is formed with similar passages 26 for imparting awhirling motion to the vaporized air as it is vdischarged through thenipple. The device is extremelysimple in construction and inasmuch asthe component parts thereof may be readily separated and cleaned whennecessary, the applicator may be kept in a sanitary condition at alltimes.

An applicator constructed'in accordance with the present invention willinsure the proper delivery of afmaxim'um amount of medicament in avaporized condition into the nasal passages and other head cavities,and, at the same time, effectually prevent small globules of liquidbeing taken up by the air .currents and clogging the nasal passages tothe injury'ror discomfort of the user.

It will, of course, be understood that the applicators may be made indiiferent sizes and shapes and constructed from any suitable materialwithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

`1. A device of the classl described comprising a casing having one .endthereof reduced to form It will here be noted that the flared porr anipple pierced by a longitudinal discharge orice, a closure plugremovably fitted in the other end of the casing, said closure plug beingprovided' between its tted portion and its inner end with a reducedbarrel terminating in a laterally extending flange, the plug beingformed with a longitudinally extending intake passage terminatingintermediate the length of the barrel and also provided with lateralpassages leading from the inner end of the longitudinal passage andcommunicating with the interior of the casing, a rod extending from theinner end of the plug, a kwick about the rod, a head of less diameterthan the casing carried by the rod and bearing against the wick, theinner end of the wick being flared laterally in contact with the headand the inner wall of the casing to close the space between the head andcasing.

2. A device of the class described comprising a casing having adischarge orifice at one end thereof, a closure plug tted in the otherend of the casing and provided with a longitudinal passage leading fromits outer end and terminating in spaced relation to the inner end of theplug, said plug also having lateral passages leading from the inner endof the longitudinal passage and discharging into the interior of thecasing, said plug being provided at its inner end with a lateral angehaving inclined grooves formed in the peripheral edge thereof, a rodextending from the inner end of the plug, a wick adapted to receive aliquid medicament tted over the rod and having its inner end flaredlaterally, and a substantially cylindrical head carried by the inner endof the rod in abutting engagement with the inner end of the wick andhaving its peripheral wall provided with inclined grooves.

3. vA'device of the class described comprising acasing having adischarge orifice at one end thereof, a closure plug removably tted inthe other end of the casing, said plug being provided with alongitudinally extending intake passage Aand with lateral passagesleading from the inner end of vthe longitudinal passage, said plug beingformed at its inner end with a lateral flange spaced inwardly from thelaterally extending air passages with its marginal edge face spaced fromthe wall of the casing, a rod secured to the plug and projecting fromthe inner end thereof, a wick tting over the rod and having an endbearing against the plug in spaced relation to the marginal edge of therim of the flange, the inner end of the wick being flared laterallytocontact with the inner surface of the wall of the casing, and a headcarried by the inner end of the rod and bearing against the flaredportion of the wick. JOSEPH J. TOBIN.

LORADOl R. SNEIL.

